Metal alloy.



U ITED swarms racrau'r orrioa warm, or new Yank, N. Y., assronon 'ro JEROME A. smuss, TRUSTEE.

METAL ALLOY.

1,102,618. No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL WEIN, a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have must be reduced to a minimum aluminum has usually been employed as the lightest of all metals. However, owing to the low ten-' sile strength of this metal, the advantage of its low specific gravity is in many cases offset wherestrength as well as lightness in weight is required. Many. attempts have, therefore, been made to secure an alloy with aluminum as a base which shall combine the lightness of aluminum with the hi' her tensile strength of the heavier metals. brie of themost common as well as the best alloy of aluminum hitherto used has been the alloy'of aluminum and zinc with or without some other metal, as copper or the like. This alloy, while giving some measure of satisfaction in certain cases, is not entirely satisfactory, for the reason that, when the proportion of zinc is increased to give higher tensile strength, the alloy is rendered brittle, and is thus unable to withstand shocks and jars as encountered in many important mechanisms in which the alloy is to be used. Also, difficulty has been experienced in obtaining uniform castings. Very frequently. one pot of metal properly alloyed, fluxed, and stirred, cleaned, and skimmed, drawn under a pyrometer, poured into two similar molds side by side at the same heat and time, will give two widely different results in strength determinations from test bars in the two molds. Very frequently blow holes are found in the castings which are very diflicult to account for, in view of the extreme care which has been exercised in preparing and casting the metal.

The object of the present invention is to overcome these difficulties, so as to secure an alloy of aluminumwhich combines the low specific gravity of the latter with hightensile strength, toughness, freedom from oxidation to any appreciable extent in the at- Specification nflettarsment. Application me October 6,1912. seriainmeataa Patented July 7, 1914.

mosphere, and various other advantageous properties which will more fully hereinafter appear. I

I have discovered that by addinga combining agent which enters into combination with the aluminum and zinc I am enabled to pro-. duce; an aluminum-zinc alloy which combines all of the advantageous properties above set forth without the defects. This combining agent is the metal tellurium in small proportion to the aluminum and zinc, preferably from to 1%. In making the alloy the aluminum is first preferably melted, then the proper proportion of zinc is added until the two are fused together to a homogeneous mass. The tellurium'is then inserted into the mixture, preferably with suitable tongs, or other instrument, to deposit the same at the bottom of the crucible and permit the same tov-transfuse through the entire body of metal. The proportion of the various metals may be varied, the aluminum varying from 50 to parts, the zinc from 49 down to 14 parts, and the tellurium from 3; to 1 part. The various proportions are to secure various degrees of hardness and toughness of the alloy, depending upon the character of its use. The tensile strength may run up as high as 48,000 pounds per square inch, and the torsional strength as high as 60,000 pounds per square inch. 1

The improved alloy may be rolled into tough to be bent back on itself without fracturing. Castings as well as forgings' may be made with equal ease, the metal flowing freely when cast hot or when sub-' jected to pressure or impact when cold. The alloy is readily soldered, and a 'joint may be obtained which is as strong or stronger than the body of the metal. 3 beautiful polish may be imparted to the surface of the alloy, and the same may be left for a long time in the atmosphere without substantial oxidation. It is suitable for electrical purposes, as it has a high electrical conductivity.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An alloy consisting of aluminum, zinc and tellurium.

2. An alloy comprising aluminum, zinc and tellurium in the following proportions:va1uminum,'50 to 85% and tellurium to 1%, the difference between the sum of these'percentages and 100%v consisting New York 11nd State of -New York this fourth day of October A. D. 1913. SAMUEL WEIN.

Vvitnesses WM. I. COHEN EVE Amy.

O of zinc.

Signed at New York in the county of 

